Prior to yesterday’s mass release, over 300 political prisoners were being detained by the Algerian government for supporting or participating in the anti-government Hirak protests or other opposition groups

The recently concluded legislative elections on June 12 saw no party win a majority in the parliament 

The elections saw only 30.2% of voters taking part, with almost 18 million of a total of 24.5 million choosing to not vote, in line with the boycott call by the Hirak movement and some leftist parties

Abderaouf Arslane is in pre-trial detention since May 25 on charges of being associated with the banned Islamist Rachad movement. His supporters say he is being persecuted for being part of the Hirak protests

The latest round of Hirak protests saw police place multiple restrictions in Algiers and other parts of the country. Friday’s mobilizations were the second round since the government announced a ban on unauthorized demonstrations

The Hirak protests continued on Friday despite a recent ban on unauthorized protests. Those on the streets were met with massive police deployment and large-scale detentions

Karim Tabbou was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a complaint filed against him for allegedly misbehaving with a government official in public. He was subsequently charged on eight counts including slander